The Mill City Times Interview: Dan Collison, Director of Downtown Partnerships, mpls downtown council, and Cara Deanes, President/CEO of the ROHO Collective

Editor's note: November 17, 2020 UPDATE!

"Due to the rise in our city and nation of Covid-19, we have very thoughtfully have decided to cancel our Holiday Market. The safety of our artists and community members that support us, are our highest priority and your health is something we take very seriously and value. In partnership with the Downtown Council and Chameleon, we are working vigorously to create an online experience. Follow our page for the most up to date information!"

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Article by Becky Fillinger

What will Minneapolis artisans and other small business merchants do during the holiday season to attract customers? We spoke to Dan Collison and Cara Deanes about plans for pop up holiday markets and other strategies to incubate diverse small businesses.  

Dan CollisionQ:  Dan, you have a very cool job title – Director of Downtown Partnerships. Please tell us about it.

A:  I have the distinct privilege of being a bridging business-civic leader connecting three business associations in relationship to our downtown neighborhoods to collectively strive for a more inclusive and vibrant downtown Minneapolis. One of the special projects I work on is the Chameleon Consortium and Shoppes. The Chameleon Consortium is a private and public partnership program of the mpls downtown council (MDC) consisting of more than twenty business and non-profit organizations with capacities and leverages that include retail, regulatory, merchandising, economic development, banking, marketing and real estate services. The work of the Chameleon Consortium is to connect, incubate, and accelerate diverse small businesses in currently vacant downtown retail spaces.

Q:  Are there any special holiday collaborations on the horizon?

Dan:  We are pleased to announce a few holiday markets taking place in the IDS Center in the ground floor retail at the corner of S Marquette Ave and S 8th Street. The first takes place November 20-21, featuring the ROHO Collective. The ROHO Collective previously hosted a pop up at MartinPatrick3 in the North Loop this past summer. The second holiday market will take place December 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12, 10am-3pm. Each market will feature between 20-25 small and locally owned businesses with most of those participating being remarkable BIPOC owned companies.

Cara Deanes

Cara:  The ROHO Collective Artisan Holiday Market, November 20-21, 11AM – 4PM, will be a curated event open to artists and entrepreneurs of color to showcase and sell their work to the public. We will create a high-end retail shopping experience, and a family fun environment. This event will offer handcrafted, artistic gifts and hand-made products, that are sure to make perfect presents for loved ones. Plan to spend the day with us! We will have live entertainment that will move the soul - African dance and drumming, holiday caroling, live art demonstrations and a family edition painting workshop. This event is a great way to kick off the holiday season!

Q:  May we shop online for any of the products?

A:  Yes! Chameleon retailers can be found at this link: https://www.chameleonconsortium.com/retailers/.  

Q:  What COVID-19 protections will be in place for shoppers?

A: The IDS retail space will follow best practices and State guidelines for mitigating COVID-19 in retail environments, with ample room for social distancing and mandatory mask requirements closely adhered to in the shopping environment. Come out and shop with us!